Alaska Schools

    The country’s largest state, Alaska, also has the smallest school enrollments after Wyoming. The largest high school in Alaska, in Anchorage, serves “more than 2,000 students,” the smallest schools may only serve 20 students and are accessible only by boat or plane, and are miles from population centers. Two K-12 public schools in Alaska have a total of 12 students. According to the Alaska Department of Education, many students also participate in distance learning, taking public school classes by computer. Despite—or because of—small class sizes and small schools, Alaska was ranked 44 out of 50 states in the 2005-06 Education State Rankings by Morgan Quitno.

Alaska has had a school reform policy similar to “No Child Left Behind” on the books for 12 years, and as a result, all of Alaska’s 503 schools meet at least three NCLB criteria. Alaska budgeted $802 million for K-12 education for the 2005-06 school year. In the 2006 fiscal year, the state is raising funding for education to a little more than $1 billion, spending nearly $7500 per student. Alaska is also one of five states that have approved a secondary option for parents of students in poverty (Title I) districts. If a student’s school does not meet NCLB requirements, parents have the option of transferring their student to a higher-performing public school as well as offering free after school tutoring programs. For information on these topics or any more information on Alaska’s individual schools or districts, visit the website: http://www.eed.state.ak.us.